1/03/2006 10:33:00 PM|||Brian|||Here is my new idea, say you always shop at Hannaford and you know it so well that you could find mustard in a second. Now, let's say you go into a Shaws you've never been in before, find the mustard now? The solution? Strap on my virtual reality goggles that will overlay an image of the store you are used to with the store you are currently in... ah, there's the mustard! Bingo!|||113634609689506075|||Plug In1/03/2006 11:24:00 PM|||Blogger YouWho|||Durham Marketplace has these software CDs for sale at the checkout that say something like "Sort your shopping list by aisle!" I've always wondered about those... how do they support the various layouts?1/01/2006 11:45:00 PM|||Brian|||We did our usual stay at home thing last night, LNotes made an awesome Shrimp Scampi using real Italian dried pasta (which tastes better than fresh). We pulled out our lists from last year... verdict: hey, we kayaked and I remodeled the bedroom, that's not half bad. We made a list of what we accomplished in 2005 and what we plan to accomplish in 2006... dream big I say. Thanks goes out to YouWho for his awesome Espresso Martini recipe... well I thank you, my head was kind grumpy about the whole thing this morning.|||113617710233337848|||2005++1/02/2006 12:59:00 PM|||Blogger YouWho|||Now Lnotes and I are even (artichoke dip).1/02/2006 04:10:00 PM|||Blogger Granite|||I think you guys have the right idea going regarding New Year's and the best way to celebrate it.12/29/2005 08:58:00 PM|||Brian|||Donning my best Ambassador sash, I headed to Manchester last night to meet LNotes and the Rants for our first Makers Mark event. Rewind to a few weeks earlier and, one afternoon while checking my email, I found an invitation in my inbox to a Makers event at the Element in Manchester. Knowing Mr. Rants was a fellow Ambassador, I forwarded the email to him to see what he thought. Before my finger could release the "Send" button, I received an email from Mr. Rants asking the same question. A few emails later, a thumbs up from LNotes and Mrs. Rants, and the date was set. The evening started with meeting LNotes and the Rants outside of Gauchos Brazilian Restaurant. Mr. Rants had created quite a gastronomical buzz with this dinning suggestion so, when we enthusiastic entered the restaurant, we were unprepared for the punch in the stomach the hostess gave us when she asked, "Do you have reservations?" Huh, on Wednesday?!?! Apparently there must have been a couple buses idling out back as they had four groups of ten... coming any minute... Huh, on a Wednesday?!?! Undeterred, we marched on until we found ourselves outside The Shaskeen. A quick check of the menu, a couple positive head nods, and we were being shown to our table by our hostess... which is right about when someone from the wait staff exited the kitchen and blinded us with a light only previously seen being used by the FBI to break the wills of those barricaded in religious compounds... we quickly asked to be seated elsewhere. Everyone in that kitchen must look like they live in Florida. After the obligatory Guinness Stew and a couple $5 pints on Guinness (yes, $5, that is not a typo), we were on our way to our main event. Actually, on the topic of the FBI and psychological weapons, has anyone heard the Christmas tunes Manchester pipes out into the streets? I think it was LNotes that mentioned they must use the "music" to keep people from sleeping on the park benches. Anyway, back to the Element. Entering through the roped entrance, we were greeted by our southern host and handed a free Maker's Mark drink token. A quick trip to the bar (to cash in our tokens) and we were then directed to the red glow of the "VIP" room... and things quickly got bizarre. Now I know Maker's Mark is not a hip young drink, a drink consumed by the fabulous people in the those Baileys commercials, but as I entered the room, I was unprepared to see faces of a slightly "older" crowd... a crowd who, under normal circumstances, probably wouldn't frequent a "VIP" room that played "chill out" electronica on the sound system. As we scanned the room, we quickly noticed that everyone was just sitting there staring into space, kind of like they were waiting in a doctors office. Ok, lets stop here so you can get a good mental image: a "VIP" room (with hip/trendy couches), flooded with red light, "chill out" music coming from the DJ booth... full of people who look like they are waiting to get a flu shot... got it?, good. Well we quickly figured out what they were waiting for, the free swag being raffled off. The first raffled was uneventful: a few footballs, a fleece blanket, a few cigars, and a few pens. An announcement went out that a second raffle would be held in a few more minutes and to sample some of the Markers concoctions being handed out by the gaggle of "demo bunnies" that then flooded the room. But tonight this crowd was living by the philosophy of "Why wait when you can just take." It first started with the older gentleman sitting next to the "prize" table reaching over and grabbing pretty much all the pens and cigars. Mr. Rants labeled him "Captain Stubing", due to his somewhat nautical Thurston Howell entire.... I was getting more of a Bob Crane "off the set" vibe, which was only strengthened when Mr. Rants saw him slap a woman on her arse. Next up was "Drunk Girl" (from SNL) that came over to take the last football. She was later busted by our southern hostess, but she played it off with her "Hehehe, I'm druuuunk" alibi. Our southern hostess, who I think just about had it with this group after seeing her prizes looted down to near nothing, returned the ball back to the prize table and put Mrs. Rants in charge of protecting the it. No sooner than our southern hostess exited the room, back comes "Drunk Girl"... "Hehehe, I'm druuuunk, I'm just want to hold the football."... denied... Mrs. Rants stood her ground. "Drunk Girl" left, but not without swiping some more drink tokens. Oh, and I'm forgetting the dude who was caught trying to pocket the little bottles of Makers Christmas lights that was on one of the tables. ...and then came the shrimp platter, which you would have thought were encrusted with diamonds and rubies the way this crowd jumped to their feet and devoured it. At this point I think our southern hostess just wanted this thing over with so she raffled off the remaining football. We left the room with people ravenously dismantling a ficus tree decorated with Makers Christmas lights. As we finished our Makers out in the main bar, and started to pack away our swag (we got some really cool glasses and coasters... which for the record was given to us... no really), a "demo bunny" (with a Makers t-shirt) approached us to see if we wanted to win some more swag by answering a couple of trivia questions. The bizarre part about this was, she started handing us Knob Creek swag for each right answer, not Makers swag... a mole perhaps? All in all, I think everyone had a good time... I mean: free Makers all night, free swag, and the best people watching in a long time, what else could you ask for? Oh, and our southern hostess gave us her card in appreciation of Mrs. Rants efforts. Mr. Rants and I are thinking maybe a little "bump up" in the distillery tour when we check out or barrels.|||113591565649258584|||Just Like Being At The UN12/27/2005 10:55:00 PM|||Brian|||Thanks again to everyone who gave me such great gifts this Christmas.|||113574224677348007|||Thanks12/23/2005 11:56:00 AM|||Brian|||I really love that IE has announced that they will be using Firefox's "feed" icon in the next version of IE. I really hope this catches on, "xml" on a orange background always seemed too techie.|||113535699672193920|||The New Face Of Syndication12/23/2005 10:54:00 AM|||Brian|||After listening to the seasonal songs on the radio this year, I must beg of you, please stop trying to create new holiday songs! There are only so many ways you can sing about a particular holiday, only so many ways to sing about: Christmas trees, lights, snow, presents, being with the one(s) you love... on Christmas. It has all been done, there aren't any more angles, nothing has been missed... and frankly, do you really think you can top Run DMC? On the topic of "the standards", can we also agree not to record any new versions just for the sake of cashing in? Is your rendition of "White Christmas" really going to better than the forty thousand plus renditions before you? Thanks, - Kreblog|||113535407104728542|||Dear Music Industry12/23/2005 10:42:00 AM|||Brian|||The Chosen One has a great post about eating with his co-workers. I once worked with an older gentleman who's group was going to a Mexican restaurant for their holiday lunch, and he actually said to me, "It should be fun, I've never been to a Mexican restaurant before."... Wha? I also worked with a woman who would act like a brat if we didn't go to The Olive Garden (she was older too). Prior to the one that was built, she would go on and on how she dreamed that one day they would build a Fridays. Hey, I dig some chains too, but I would never put Fridays on the top of my food chain. Hahaha, that's saved for the "Nines" ;)|||113535252884206797|||Ewww, Gross, Food12/23/2005 09:40:00 AM|||Brian||| Ok, now it is Christmas, I got my cookie delivery yesterday. I probably don't say it as much as I should but, being far from my family, I do miss being with them, especially around the Holidays. These cookies are one of the highlights of my Holidays and always brings me home. I can see the Tupperware containers of cookies on the back porch now :) ...hey, get out of there! That ginger crinkle is mine!|||113534885235275019|||Bakers Dozen!12/18/2005 09:07:00 PM|||Brian|||This is probably the funnest thing I have ever seen on SNL.|||113495802269325739|||The Chronic What?12/19/2005 07:25:00 PM|||Blogger YouWho|||I agree -- we laughed so hard and TiVo blipped it back again and again to catch all the lyrics. Even beyond funny, it was pretty damn good!12/19/2005 07:34:00 PM|||Blogger YouWho's wife|||Hmmm, I'm getting hungry for some cupcakes. :)12/19/2005 09:37:00 PM|||Blogger YouWho|||2, no, 6, no 12 -- BAKERS DOZEN12/19/2005 10:22:00 PM|||Blogger Kreblog|||SNACK ATTACK MOTHER%@#$@*!12/19/2005 11:07:00 PM|||Blogger Lnotes|||The girl acted like she'd nevah' seen a 10 before!12/21/2005 03:10:00 PM|||Blogger carpoolguy|||Funnier than the classic Super Bass-o-Matic? I think not: http://snltranscripts.jt.org/75/75qbassamatic.phtml12/18/2005 04:14:00 PM|||Brian|||I've been meaning to give Portsmouth a "thumbs up" for offering free street parking throughout the city to encourage holiday shopping... but I have a little problem with the way they went about implementing it. Now we have all seen covered parking meters in the past, and usually it means, "Don't park here." We have also been trained, especially in regards to general traffic safety, that red is a warning. So why would you place red bags over parking meters to tell people, "Hey park here, it is free"? Well, you might say, "Hey you idiot, they say free parking on the bags!", and I resemble that remark, but the wording, which is in dull black on glossy red, is kind of hard to read when you are in the car. The first time I saw them, which was after a snowstorm, I immediately thought, "Wow, they must be doing snow removal because you can't park anywhere." Call me crazy but, what's wrong with white text on green bags?|||113494215455280369|||Red Is Bad, No?12/18/2005 01:05:00 PM|||Brian|||...and another thing, thank you toilet paper company whose name I won't mention! I "tried" using your product as 'demonstrated" by your overly expressive cartoon bears... well apparently you forgot to mention how far back in the woods you should place your product on a branch. Thanks a lot! I now have a date to appear in court! ...and unflattering photos of me floating around on the Internets which I think the squirrels took.|||113492966031946182|||Think Twice12/18/2005 12:00:00 PM|||Brian|||I just recently noticed on the back of our toilet paper brand's wrapper, they have a nice graphic that breaks down the always confusing: "How much toilet paper is on a roll?" I can't remember how many times this question has puzzled me, even to this day, so I hopefully can get it correct here: Ok, the basic unit of measurement (as defined by them) is a "Single Roll"... so far so easy. Now it starts get tricky so you may need to read this twice and/or get a pad and pencil, a "Double Roll" equals two "Single Rolls". Still with me? So a "Triple Roll" equals? Wait, think... eight three "Single Rolls". I know that tripped me up too, I was like "Really?" but again the nice graphic really clears it up. I really wished this toilet paper company was there for me when I had to suffer through three quarters of Calculus... which I might add, have never used since I graduated! Thanks college, I'm still waiting for the day when I'm at the post office and the woman behind me goes, "Hey, do you know the area under this graph that goes to infinity?" Speaking of Calculus, I have to add that I once had a teacher that had "injured" his eardrums at some concert (I swear he said once it was some soft rock show). So for the two quarters I had him, he would walk into class with those headphones the airplane dudes wear (he could also be seen with them on walking around campus). I also remember that he would end the class, and before you could blink, have his headphones on and be at the back of the room before anyone had the remote chance of making a screeching noise while pushing back their chair. I don't want to make fun of another person's aliment, but it was quite a unique course of treatment. |||113492696946426375|||Toilet Paper Math12/18/2005 11:46:00 AM|||Brian|||I just would like to thank (and I know LNotes would as well) the You Who's for inviting us to their excellent cocktail party last night. We had a lot of fun. If you are ever lucky enough to be invited to You Who's house, for any occasion really, you are always guaranteed to enjoy food and cocktails that rivals anything you might get in some trendy establishment "downtown". Now I don't really want to single out just one thing from last night, but I did quite enjoyed the Moscow Mule that was on the cocktail menu. After reading about the Moscow Mule this past Summer, it was on my list of cocktails to attempt to make. I never did get around to making one so it was nice to finally try it. If I remember the article correctly, I think the Moscow Mule was concocted by a distributor that wanted to introduce Americans to vodka (so he could of course make a killing on vodka sales). Again, if I remember correctly, vodka wasn't really known to Americans up until that point.|||113492438090667827|||The Warmth Of Moscow12/18/2005 03:20:00 PM|||Blogger YouWho|||Glad you had a good time. Correction: Last night you had the Moscow "Yule", my own kitschy holiday slant on the Mule. A true Moscow Mule uses Ginger Beer (Stewart's is the best brand available around here I think) whereas last night I used Reed's Spiced Apple Cider Ale, which I thought went brilliantly with the General John Stark (thank you very much by the way)! Next time you're over I'll make you the real thing.12/18/2005 04:02:00 PM|||Blogger Kreblog|||Doh... but thanks for the tip on the ginger beer, I think that was the reason I never got around to it.12/18/2005 11:21:00 AM|||Brian|||When it comes to using IM, I have for awhile narrowed my running clients to just MSN and Yahoo. I know there are options out there to merge all the networks into just one client but those applications strip out all the useful features that each individual application offers... like having a pet monkey standing next to me in Yahoo. That's not to say I have don't have accounts on GTalk and AIM, and I do have times when I need to jump on those networks, that's why meebo.com looks pretty interesting as it allows you to log into the "Big 4" from all within your browser using a very slick interface (including drag and drop "windows"). Also, since it is browser based, it is a nice option when your Internet connection is slightly restricted. (If you are worried about privacy, they do have their privacy principles posted)|||113492291418571805|||All In One12/18/2005 09:48:00 AM|||Brian|||You know if sites like Yahoo, Hotmail, or Plaxo were smart, they would offer a download for the Holidays that, when run, would access your online address book, allow you to check off who you want to send cards to, and then generate a Word document you could create mailing labels from. What better way to advertise and drive traffic to your site? (I know most of these sites can sync with Outlook but it is usually not a process that works "right out of the box")|||113491777732531193|||Here's A Thought12/17/2005 01:04:00 PM|||Brian||| I think Santa might want to skip our house this year if this is any indication. Our youngest cat thinks it is quite entertaining to beat up on our Santa tree topper while we are sleeping. Our tree is by our stairs, and every morning, Santa is either tipped over or completley off and hanging from his cord. I love our cats but I find myself quoting my Mom and saying, "We can never have nice things in this house", as each morning there is more Christmas carnage on the floor. It has gotten to the point where our tree has become top heavy with ornaments. Ornaments at floor level... game on.|||113484393331343274|||Random Acts Of Violence12/17/2005 12:25:00 PM|||Brian|||I'm never driving to Boston again, I found nirvana. This past Thursday I had an opportunity to go down to Boston for a free Microsoft developer event, and while I had originally intended to take the train down for fun, the train's schedule just didn't jive with the event times. So instead I opted to take the bus, which I had taken before to Logan, but it had been awhile. Except for the slight mechanical difficulties right outside of South Station on the way down, this is the way to travel: $23 (same day round trip) fare, coach seating (this isn't a transit bus), free coffee, free Portsmouth Herald, center of town location, free parking, and departing at least every hour... I say let someone else worry about traffic. The nice touch though was, since I left early morning and got back around 7pm, the driver had the lights off. One minute I was driving down 1, next minute I was waking up in Newburyport... come to think if it, I think I might have done that before driving myself. As an aside, I love Microsoft events, if for nothing else than for the food (again this was a free event): Breakfast: I had a muffin and coffee. I could have opted for a bagel and/or danish as well as juice. Lunch: I had the roast beef lunch "box" which, besides the roast beef sub, included: pretzels, pasta salad with olives, Vermont cheese, a big cookie, a orange, and a choice of soda or water. Afternoon snack: I had chips and a soda. For chips they had baskets and baskets of at least eight different kind of chips... from pita chips to Frito Twists. I could have sworn I saw on a slide during one of the presentations a heading: "How To Serve Human"... but I was having trouble breaking into my cookie to read the bullet points.|||113484233162818002|||Home James (Or Whatever Your Name Is)12/18/2005 03:21:00 PM|||Blogger gagknee|||Man. My boss and another guy i work with went to that event. I was angry (well, not really angry, i did get to screw around a lot because my boss was gone all day) because they didn't invite me. I love'em. day off work, food, etc.

Anyway, i dont know if you watch The Office, but the guy who went with my boss, IS Dwight. He doesn't have cable and has no idea what The Office is but when we call him the Assistant TO the IT Director, he just beams with pride.

hehe, someday he is going to rent The Office DVD.12/18/2005 03:58:00 PM|||Blogger Kreblog|||I made sure that, when I first heard about the event, I put my name of the list as soon as possible to avoid any, "we'll have too many people out that day", denials.

I must say that I have come around to the American version of "The Office". Having been a fan of the original, it was hard to watch the American version in the beginning because it seemed like they were just retelling the same jokes. But having picked it up again, they have done a good job of making it their own.12/17/2005 11:54:00 AM|||Brian|||We've had digital cable for awhile now, and in the beginning, I used to take the time to cycle through all the channels we received to see what I was missing. But after awhile I had pretty much abandoned the "200's" because of all of the "unavailable" gaps and the niche programming (a channel just for tennis?)... which kind of kills me because I'm paying a boat load of money for them. So while I was setting up the channels on my Harmony last week, surfing the "200's", I was pleasantly surprised to find that we get AZN Television, but more importantly, we get Bollywood movies... and the best part, they have English subtitles. So maybe that boat load of money pays for something after all. Speaking of the "200's", we are finding that we are ending up on VH1 Classic a lot more now when there is nothing on. And while they still play videos, they are starting to branch out into more original content. Just recently they had a hour mix of videos and an interview with Depeche Mode talking about their latest album. Our generation is now niche programing in the "200's".|||113483847622360595|||Hooray For Bollywood12/17/2005 11:34:00 AM|||Brian|||The car pool crew have been raving about theirs before but it wasn't till I bought a Harmony Remote Control myself that I could fully grasp what they were raving about (I promise to stop making the "cookoo" sign around my head behind their backs). I've had "universal" remotes before, but those didn't even come close to a Harmony. First, there were no codes to figure out, you just enter the model number, Harmony knows the rest. Second, they have function buttons like "Watch TV", which turns on the TV, changes the TV to the right video setting, turns on the audio receiver, switches it to "video", and then turns on the cable box... all this, one button. "Watch DVD": turn on DVD player, switch TV video setting, and switch audio receiver to "DVD"... again, one button. The model I got even replaces the the Tivo remote and works on Comcast's PVR. Watching TV/Tivo/Cable used to require dragging at least four seperate remotes around, now I'm down to one... brilliant.|||113483729999005857|||Minimize12/21/2005 02:34:00 PM|||Blogger carpoolguy|||In my household, the name "Harmony" is very apropos. Like the dual control electric blanked, it has saved my marriage. For those of us who thrive on complexity ("now, let's see...if I plug the VCR into the receiver but plumb the video through Skylab") married to those who don't want to deal with choices ("I hit the 'on' button but the screen is still blue??"), the "watch tv" feature is only surpassed by the "Help" button which walks you through a step by step idiot proof diagnosis.12/11/2005 07:47:00 PM|||Brian|||I have to agree with Granite ... being one of those "kids" who is constantly checking their cell phones every minute to make sure they didn't get left behind from the "crowd", drinking cheap/bad beer at some friend of a friend's apartment party, or hopping from one loud "packed in like cattle" bar to another is not "cool" in my book. What is "cool"?... being with friends who enjoy a night of good conversation/laughs over drinks and can appreciate something a little more upscale than a tuna melt at the Friendly Toast. I don't have time to be mourning the loss of my youth, I'm too busy having a blast with my posse of "home by 11" geezers.|||113434842115782678|||What is Cool?12/09/2005 03:40:00 PM|||Brian|||I took today off from work today thinking that I could catch up on some holiday errands, but instead I'm home watching the snow. The thing that is really making me worried though is I have no milk and bread... I'm really craving milk and bread... WHY DIDN'T I RUSH TO THE STORE LAST NIGHT LIKE EVERYONE ELSE TO STOCK UP ON DAYS WORTH OF MILK AND BREAD!!! I'm so stupid, now I'm stranded at my house, unable to go to a store (I'm guessing anyway), without milk and bread. I guess I should snow blow my cars out in the mean time.|||113416130436210065|||Snow Bound12/10/2005 12:30:00 AM|||Anonymous Anonymous|||do u no where i find milk and bread in dover tonight? also water we need right away12/11/2005 07:49:00 AM|||Blogger Granite|||Hey, I had they day off too. I got new tires for my car that day12/11/2005 08:54:00 PM|||Blogger Kreblog|||Did you get snow tires? One of the best purchases I every made.12/13/2005 08:51:00 AM|||Blogger Granite|||No, just new all seasons12/15/2005 09:01:00 AM|||Blogger carpoolguy|||I'm a snow tire guy myself. Don't even want to have to think about whether I should go out or not. Plus, I wouldn't want to be saying to Kreblog, "you'll have to take my turn at carpool because I have inadequate tires".12/07/2005 09:31:00 PM|||Brian|||Cooler At The Coast|||113400907233619734|||Highs In The 70's12/08/2005 12:08:00 AM|||Blogger YouWho|||What is this? Moonblogging?12/08/2005 01:15:00 PM|||Blogger carpoolguy|||I believe it qualifies as an alterego.12/07/2005 09:06:00 PM|||Brian|||Ricky Gervais... the Podcast. The "Monkey News" is worth it alone.|||113400757126552838|||Brilliant12/04/2005 08:59:00 PM|||Brian|||After all the discussion at BnB on how Comcast now has karaoke on its OnDemand, I figured I had to check it out myself. Big mistake, I got Soul Asylum's Misery stuck in my head... and when I say stuck, I mean it was in my dreams and it was the first thing I thought of when my feet hit the floor. Let this be a warning.|||113374878642031703|||Frustrated, Inc.12/05/2005 05:01:00 PM|||Blogger Lou|||The next time I'm over, I'm singing nothing but Creed songs.12/04/2005 10:48:00 AM|||Brian|||I wanted to start a new Christmas tradition but my wife shot me down. I wanted to add a Christmas pumpkin to the list of festive decorations. Our pumpkin from October is still hanging in there and I figured, since it lasted this long, why not keep it going? Needless to say, my Christmas pumpkin is now in the woods... haha, but I can still see it from the window... go pumpkin go!|||113371163727626764|||Christmas Pumpkin12/04/2005 10:15:00 PM|||Blogger JJE|||Faithful pumpkin abandoned because of change of season sitting in the woods just outside the house. two words: Stephen King12/05/2005 09:14:00 PM|||Blogger seacoastguy|||It watches...waiting.

It waits until even the cats have let their guard down, and then

the horror...

the horror...

When you don't show up for carpool we're going to find your entire home filled to the ceiling with pumpkin custard...12/08/2005 06:31:00 PM|||Blogger xianfern|||You'll be happy to know that our pumpkins are still right out in front of our house!! Not because of any new tradition we're trying to start.. just laziness!! But I'm inspired to maybe put a Christmas bow on them.. or maybe stick a candy cane in their decomposing bodies! Ho!Ho!Ho!11/30/2005 10:16:00 PM|||Brian|||My deepest apologies, 5 is a close typo to 6. So to those who were at Red Hook at 5:30, I had really meant 6:30... and I really apologize. In the future, if you ever see anything before 6:30, know that I would need a worm hole to get there. Again, my deepest apologies.|||113340802917669028|||Blog N' Brew12/01/2005 09:11:00 AM|||Blogger Contagious|||Ha ha! I'm not crazy!12/01/2005 09:13:00 AM|||Blogger carpoolguy|||Yeah, I understand there were over 25 bloggers there at 5:30 but that they all left right before you came in. Seriously, good times come to those who wait.12/01/2005 08:53:00 PM|||Blogger YouWho|||Well, not the first time I've been ditched by Kreblog and crew.12/03/2005 10:14:00 AM|||Blogger seacoastguy|||You leave me no choice Kreblog (just thought I would say that): I would like to email you something but I don't have your contact info anywhere...when you see this post, please send me an email if you can from your preferred account...thx.

Sorry to be a bad blog poster...12/03/2005 09:52:00 PM|||Anonymous Chosen|||Yes, well, there just might have been 25 bloggers there at 5:30. I was there shortly after 6 and saw the occasional bloggerish looking individual wander through looking lost and desperate.

We kind of figured that quiet table in the corner must be you guys, but weren't quite sure. Afterall, who'd figure this lot to be so quiet? However, now my spies have shown me pictures of one or two of you, so I'll be wise to you next time around.12/04/2005 10:55:00 AM|||Blogger Kreblog|||Quiet? It must have been before we started talking about karaoke.11/28/2005 09:36:00 PM|||Brian|||So maybe I'm giving away my million dollar idea, but during our usual awesome idea brainstorming commute last week (so many ideas... so little time), Carpoolguy and I formalized our new business venture: nacho delivery. Think about it: Friday night, drinking beers/margaritas at home, 10 o'clock runs along and it hits you... dude, nachos would be awesome right about now. Do you make nachos... who has all the stuff? Do you go out and order nachos... you just opened a new beer, plus you would have to put your shoes on. That's when you call: "Why Nach?" (that's the name of the delivery service), and get hot, loaded (to your specifications) nachos, delivered right to your door (I'm thinking we could make them in the truck on the way). But here is my special touch... you know all that good nacho stuff that falls to the bottom of the plate? The stuff that takes too much effort to pick off and eat? Our nachos are served on a soft tortilla shell.. just wrap up the shell and finish off the goods. Pure gold I tell you... now if only someone would steal my idea so I could call in myself.|||113323290309822954|||Loaded11/29/2005 09:23:00 AM|||Blogger carpoolguy|||There's a couple of add ons to your post that need to be mentioned. First, we need one of them tall Dodge vans (the Sprinter: http://www.dodge.com/sprinter/index.html?context=vehiclePage&type=vehicleLink). Second, on top of the van we'll put loudspeakers and play, "Nacho, Nacho Man, I want to be your Nacho man" as we drive up to the house. Third, we may want to try this out as a stationary van in Durham (like Fritz or Karl's or whatever they're called now) before we take to the road. Or we could hang outside the Dover bars at closing time. I smell success (and nachos).11/29/2005 10:28:00 AM|||Blogger Lou|||When you expand to Brooklyn, count me in. The edible container is the icing on the cake.11/29/2005 02:53:00 PM|||Blogger Granite|||Sweet!
Will you offer flour tortillas? Or just corn?11/28/2005 09:13:00 PM|||Brian|||We ended up watching Star Wars III this past Friday and I was unprepared for the way it would effect me. Like every other single celled organism and up, I grew up with Star Wars, it is ingrained in every fiber of my pop culture being. I saw each of the originals in the theater with my father and each time I wouldn't come down from my "high" for days. As an adult I watched the first two new movies and I enjoyed them, but just not in the same way (luckily for my wife and coworkers I didn't have the same high and practice my light saber moves with broomsticks or shoot down X-Wings from my BMX). I liked the newer movies but the stories and characters were different, there was a big disconnect from my childhood memories. That was until the credits rolled on Friday night, suddenly the plug was connected to the wall and it all made sense. These questions I carried with me through my childhood were all answered. As crazy as it sounds, I honestly had to step back and take it all in.|||113323160585824876|||So That's Why11/27/2005 08:03:00 PM|||Brian|||I've been pretty lazy, I remodeled my dining room and bedroom but I have put off finishing both by installing ceiling molding (over a year long now for the dining room). I think it was a little fear of the unknown (picking out the right molding, measuring, cutting angles) and getting the stuff home (in my short time here on earth I have yet to master the art of tying things to my car). Well given the opportunity of a long weekend, I knew I couldn't put it off any longer. I drove up to HD ready to face any challenge that may arise. It was to my relief that the molding I liked came in sizes that fit inside my car (I later discovered that I had chosen a chair rail molding, but who cares, it looked better than what they had for ceiling molding anyway). Here is a list of things I learned why installing molding:
  • When you are a simpleton like myself, it take a few practice cuts to wrap your brain around a miter box (duh, that 45 or that 45?).
  • Cutting angles is easy.
  • Getting angles to match up is hard (especially when you add the fact the house is old and has warped walls and ceiling.
  • Caulk is a great way to fill the gaps between molding and the ceiling.
  • Wood putty is your friend (there is more than one way to make it look like angles meet)
  • Standing on a step ladder all day looking up does wonders for your lower back.
I must say that, even thought I chose the wrong molding, I think I did alright. I should also add that the week before I finally finished the windows I had installed probably almost two years ago. Luckily they are up high so you can't see my mistakes (although I must say I didn't do too bad with my jigsaw by hand).|||113314031606154684|||A New Angle11/25/2005 11:28:00 AM|||Brian|||Mr. Rants has an excellent Thanksgiving post on Wal Mart. I would add that American manufacturers should stress style as well as quality. The other thing I find funny about Wal Mart is when towns get all worked up and try to block Wal Mart from building in their town. They go on an on how they need to protect "Mom & Pop" establishments. Here's a thought, let them build the new Wal Mart and don't shop there. "Can't... resist... smilely face... must shop... Wall Mart." By all means, I'm not a supporter of Wal Mart, but let the market decide.|||113293631322980167|||Big Box11/28/2005 09:27:00 AM|||Blogger Granite|||Very true. I think one reason people are turning to "Tar-zhey" is because of the style factor they promote with their offerings.11/28/2005 01:34:00 PM|||Blogger YouWho|||Righ on Kreblog!11/23/2005 10:05:00 PM|||Brian|||Turkey Bravo & Starbucks... yes Virginia, there is coffee fairy person or something. It even smelled new... although the "cream" bar had that scuzy "wiped down a million times with the same dirty towel" look already. The most amazing thing I heard while there was the woman behind me say to her friend that she had never been to a Starbucks before... can you believe that? That's like saying "I've never had water before." That's just crazy. We made sure we called Mr. Perspective and rub it in that he was missing out. Our master plan is to convince Mr. Perspective to make Starbucks runs on his "smoking breaks."|||113280240824092995|||Panera Wednesday11/22/2005 10:41:00 PM|||Brian|||I am the king of recycling, I view it as almost a game to see how much I can recycle each week. My wife hates it when we clean out the fridge because I just won't throw things away like old bottles of mustard... if it can be recycled, I will recycle it. For awhile now I have boycotted the cafe at work and bring in my own lunch and bottled water from home (the boycott is really about saving $$$, not because they don't use fair trade coffee or something cool like that). But because my office doesn't recycle, I've started taking the "carry in/carry out" approach to my waste. If I drink three bottles of water at work, three bottles come home to go into the bin. I've now carried this philosophy to the gym... I'm afraid I might start wandering the streets.|||113271841699844815|||Number 211/23/2005 09:04:00 AM|||Blogger Heidi|||yes, but do you compost all your veggie scraps?11/23/2005 04:00:00 PM|||Blogger carpoolguy|||How much oil/gas/electricity do you use heating the water used to wash out the mustard jar? Or do you just recycle the mustard, too?11/23/2005 04:55:00 PM|||Blogger Granite|||empty milk jugs can be wrapped in chicken wire and then these wraps can be roped together to create a cool raft!11/23/2005 10:34:00 PM|||Blogger Kreblog|||We don't have many veggie scraps... I wash out the mustard with the old ketchub (duh)... that raft design only works until the seagulls start attcking because of the sour milk smell.11/28/2005 06:43:00 AM|||Blogger Beastie|||Hmm did I see a Dover police blotter about a guy going around and sifting through his neighbor's trash? Was that you? :D11/22/2005 10:24:00 PM|||Brian|||It was a little eerie this weekend at the mall. Everything screamed Christmas, but late on a Sunday afternoon, there was hardly anyone there. I imagine this is what Christmas would look like after some sort of nuclear induced zombie attack. "What do you want for Christmas?" "Arrrr, Brains... and a zen garden from that kiosk by Sears." Speaking of shopping... what is the point of shopping at 5am on Friday? That my friend does not sound like a proper use of a vacation day.|||113271693176940253|||Merry Armageddon11/20/2005 09:55:00 PM|||Brian|||Alright already... how's 5:30 Wednesday November 30th at smoke-free Red Hook? Backup will be Patty's if for some strange reason Red Hook is packed that night (which I have seen on occasion during the week).|||113254203905695106|||Blog N' Brew11/23/2005 12:00:00 PM|||Blogger Bob|||Sounds good to me.11/23/2005 03:59:00 PM|||Blogger carpoolguy|||Fun pass is pending...should be able to make it.11/23/2005 04:52:00 PM|||Blogger Granite|||Sweet!11/25/2005 10:11:00 AM|||Blogger Lnotes|||nice, I'm there. hopefully we can score the comfy couches by the fireplace11/17/2005 10:21:00 PM|||Brian|||
It seems Wednesday has becoming Panera "Adventure" day lately. The other week Carpoolguy and I left the Panera parking lot in search of the new Starbucks (rumored to be just an exit down). Well after driving like a tourist for awhile, we finally found the Starbucks... still under construction. All was not lost as on the way back we checked out the "compound" of the big company up the street (I think they even have their own Wal Mart). Yesterday wasn't much of an adventure in driving but it still involved coffee. After Panera we headed over to Target to check out inexpensive things we could tell people we wanted for Christmas (instead of telling them what we really want like a video iPod or laptop). On the way back to work Carpoolguy yelled out: "Hey I want my free McDonalds coffee!" Now we all have had McDonalds "coffee" before but this new Green Mountain stuff isn't half bad... and its free without purchase until I think next Wednesday, just walk in and say "Hey I want my free McDonalds coffee!" (just like that). The other cool part is they don't just give you some dinky "trial" cup, they give you a medium... for free. (I must say, I was unprepared for the caffeine shock)
|||113228642204460297|||Well I'll Be11/18/2005 10:30:00 AM|||Blogger Lou|||Hey, I forgot you were doing the no caffeine thing. You must have had an extraordinarily productive day afterwards. :)11/18/2005 01:05:00 PM|||Anonymous Mrs. Rants|||I tried the new coffee myself and was very impressed!11/18/2005 01:33:00 PM|||Blogger carpoolguy|||My only problem with the new coffee is the amount of merchandising tie-ins. It's not just "MacDonald's coffee"; it's more like Paul Newman's Own Shade Grown, Trade Free, Aribica, Green Mountain Specialty Coffee. Bring back El Exigente.11/28/2005 01:26:00 PM|||Blogger YouWho|||Remember when lunch meant Dunkin Donuts coffee and driving around backwoods wilderness? Now we're both doing Starbucks and box stores... how we've all grown!11/09/2005 08:11:00 PM|||Brian|||I now have a foreign object in my mouth. Dentist: "Your blah blah C-34 blah tooth has cracks." Me: "Alrighty... see you in 6 months." Dentist: "You should get a crown. If you don't, and it gets worse, you may need a root canal later on." Me: "[Damn... I was almost free with my toothbrush and floss... that will end up next to about three years worth of floss in the closet.]" Dentist: "Here, let me take a picture... seems the camera is not working. I really want to show you this. Maybe we can schedule a quick appointment for you to come back?" Me: "Yeah, I could totally schedule an appointment [excellent, I just bought time]." Well time won’t give me time and this week I went under the drill, where, within couple of minutes (or a lifetime), my tooth was reduced to a stub. Actually, after suffering through the pain, I got to witness one of the coolest things I've seen in a long time. Through the magic of some medical supplier, the dentist made me a new tooth... right there on the spot. This magic "tooth" machine sounded like my old dot matrix printer growing up, except louder. Actually the similarities didn't stop there, it took like ten minutes to finish, about the same time it took to print my three page English paper. Some strange smelling glue and magic blue light later, wham... I had my first crown... and it looked like my own. It feels a little weird, and my bite is a hair off... oh, and it occasionally FREAKS ME OUT that I now have my first artificial "part" in my body... but I think it went pretty well.|||113158801958165868|||Don't Put Things In Your Mouth11/09/2005 11:20:00 PM|||Blogger YouWho|||Next artifical part: Blogger's new bioblogging implant?11/10/2005 09:56:00 PM|||Anonymous Anonymous|||ah, dr smiley in dover, eh? he has the new cnc tooth milling machine. pretty darn cool.11/11/2005 10:50:00 AM|||Blogger carpoolguy|||First artificial part? I guess you forgot about that plate in your head.11/12/2005 10:53:00 AM|||Blogger Beastie|||We can rebuild him... We have the technology...11/07/2005 06:04:00 PM|||Brian|||This past Saturday we sort of went on a nostalgia trip down to Boston with no other purpose than to bum around (I couldn't remember the last time I've walked around Newbury Street or Harvard Square). The biggest part of our adventure was finding and parking at the Sullivan Square T Station. It was fairly easy to find, and at $3.50/day, it was a steal... especially with it being only a few stops away from either the Green or Red line. We did luck out as there were only a handful of parking spaces left (my backup was Wellington). We ended up starting at the Prudential Center (due to its bathrooms), and then taking a walk down Newbury Street. But because we weren't really feeling the "vibe" (and it was sort of ho-hum), we ended up not walking very far, grabbing some coffees and splitting. After fighting our way back onto the Green line (at the Prudential Center... where the trains come full every fifteen minutes, and only the front doors open), we changed to the Red line at Park and headed over to Harvard Square. At Harvard, we hit the furnishings department of Urban Outfitters and then the Gap before trying to find some food. After walking around a bit, we ended up at John Harvard's Brew House for dinner (tasty Pale Ale). Once we were done with dinner, we thought we would go to Crate and Barrel, but it ended up being closed for a "function"... what sort of function do you hold at a Create and Barrel? You got me. We ended our Harvard visit by drinking some Peets in the park... all in all, a fine day of bumming about.|||113140787997015926|||T Hands11/08/2005 09:09:00 AM|||Blogger YouWho|||OMG my next wedding is *totally* going to be C&B!!!11/04/2005 09:44:00 PM|||Brian|||I don't know why but lately I have no desire to watch movies anymore... which is starting to make my Netflix subscription look kind of pointless. I won't go into some rant on the quality of movies Hollywood is producing, that's not it, its just that there is something always else on or something to do. I will say that I'm done with going to the theater. I know, never say never, but really for the money, what is the point?|||113115917324200239|||Yawn11/07/2005 10:11:00 AM|||Blogger Bob|||We cancelled a couple of months ago and went for more premium channels on the satellite.11/07/2005 12:41:00 PM|||Blogger christhadasister|||We never go to the movies- it's so expensive, though I have been craving movie theater popcorn for quite some time... I just might have to cave...11/07/2005 01:24:00 PM|||Blogger YouWho|||Everytime I've been to the movies recently I am so irritated and disappointed with rest of the audience... at those prices I should not have to put up with a guy answering his cell phone.11/07/2005 02:17:00 PM|||Blogger carpoolguy|||The movie experience has changed. I used to love the shared experience of watching a movie - the whole theatre laughing, crying, screaming or whatever. But the theatres got smaller and the people got ruder. And now Hampton cinemas have changed their schedule so that there's only one show around 6 to 7 p.m. Heck, I don't even get home until then. Looks like another theatre is trying a last gasp before they go under.11/07/2005 07:08:00 PM|||Blogger Kreblog|||We tried the premium channels route before but it always seems like we were either stumbling on movies just after they started or just as they were ending.

We would even Tivo moves, but because there was no real rush to see them, they would just sit there until we ended up deleting them (to make room for more movies we wouldn't watch).11/12/2005 10:56:00 AM|||Blogger Beastie|||We just cancelled Netflix ourselves. We have tons of stuff on the tivo that we do not get to, and the Netflix movies would just sit there waiting. Its silly if you have them for more than a week.

Movie theatre is a rare treat, its an excuse to get out, if you have kids you need that :) Not to mention some movies are just better on the big screen, even with a 40" tv screen.11/04/2005 09:14:00 PM|||Brian|||Last night happened to be another round of the monthly eBrew, where I and my fellow carpoolers slap on our name badges and head to our corner to be anti-social for the night and drink Sierra Nevadas... which is quite the opposite of what you are supposed to do at a networking event. Actually, for being anti-social, we have manged to meet quite a number of people over past events, most notably Contagious' brother-in-law. Last night's special guest star: Bionic... who stopped over with his work crew... and didn't win an iPod Shuffle. Actually I should say the special guest star was Seacoast Perspective who graced us with his precence after being MIA in the carpool these past few weeks. Mr. Perspective is sorely missed as we have come to realize that he channels all the anger for the carpool (while he listens to NPR). This conclusion was reached after one morning this week when Carpoolguy and I were usually angry at the world for no reason. Mr. Perspective is our box of baking soda in the fridge. The carpool ended up at Fat Belly's for dinner where it seems every time my eyes end up being bigger than my stomach. Fat Belly's is definitely not for the timid. (I'm still in awe after watching Granite eat a one pound burger once)|||113115856158104684|||That's Me In The Corner11/07/2005 12:29:00 PM|||Blogger Granite|||And it was a damn good burger too11/07/2005 02:14:00 PM|||Blogger carpoolguy|||I prefer to think of us a selectively social - not antisocial. We prefer to choose the people we talk to rather than have them choose us. And the onion rings at Fatbelly's aren't as good as at Brown's Lobster Pound, but the chili burger provided me with many hours of memories...11/01/2005 11:05:00 PM|||Brian|||Well they did it again, Makers out of the blue sent me another package. This time it was a package of Christmas cards with personalized labels and stickers (of the famous wax) to seal the envelopes.|||113090464704977107|||Damn You Bourbon11/01/2005 10:26:00 PM|||Brian|||As Granite mentioned, I met up with him and his posse to head out to the Stone Church this past Saturday to see Scissorfight..... aaaand, there... I just got my hearing back. I was a little nervous when the first band came out and they just played the same "machine gun" guitar cord, song after song, while the lead singer just screamed into the microphone. At one point Granite leaned over and asked: "What do you think he is singing." To which I said: "What he did on Tuesday." I will say this, the drummer was the real star of this band. He had this long hair that would mop over his face as he looked down and pounded on his set, never flinching. This guy could be a solo act. The second band was better, but I didn't really leave much of an impression. Then came Scissorfight, these guys were awesome. They had the confidence, they owned the stage, and they rocked. It has been awhile since I've gone to a club but it was like riding a bike, I felt like I was right back in college... just this time a few more people back from the pit... and buying better beer. As for the new and improved Stone Church, I had only been there once back in '95 and I all I can remember is it was dark, so for all practical purposes, it was like being there for the first time. I can say this, from the funky lighting, stylish bar, and three tap systems, they spent some money on the remodel and it looks like it has payed off. Oh, and I don't know what Tuckermans I was drinking but it was brown and it was good.|||113090425951260672|||Running With Scissors11/02/2005 08:21:00 PM|||Blogger YouWho|||Well damn, while I was trying to work out my bachelor social schedule this weekend, I saw that they were playing the Stone Church recognized them as a band Granite liked and seriously considered going. It was that or the Russian pianist at the Stratham Church. TV won out in the end.11/03/2005 09:02:00 AM|||Blogger Granite|||Scissorfight freakin' ROCKS! Indeed, that was a great set they played. I had a good time and it took a few days for the neck to heal from all the headbanging. Glad you liked them!

The Tuckerman's beer was their Alt style. Alt beers are basically German style ales. I believe Alt means "old" and signifies the older style of brewing with top-fermenting ale yeasts. When bottom-fermenting lager yeasts were discovered, German brewers for the most part abandoned working with ale yeasts.10/31/2005 10:53:00 PM|||Brian|||I don't think I've had cider doughnuts since I left Rochester but that injustice was finally been rectified when yesterday my wife and I took her grandmother to Applecrest in Hampton Falls. I can now die happy.... actually I can die happy after I finish the apple pie my wife made last night. Talk about a place than needs an express lane: "Anyone who is not going on a hayride, picking their own apples, getting their face painted, milling around pumpkins, and who just wants to buy apples, cider, and doughnuts, please come to lane #1." My wife whimped out on the cider thought... pasteurization is for whimps. The French take the fun out of everything!|||113081790405156719|||Mmmm, Doughnuts11/02/2005 08:18:00 PM|||Blogger YouWho|||We had the same pasteurization conversation when I picked up a gallon from Barker's farm stand in Stratham. My wife would only drink it as hot spiced apple cider.10/30/2005 04:20:00 PM|||Brian|||Last weekend we took a trip down to the Cape for a little R&R. After taking our time on Friday to pack, we got down to our bed & breakfast late in the afternoon, where, after getting situated in our room, we dumped our Barnes & Nobel bag out and dug into our freshly purchased books/magazines... what are vacations for other than loading up on magazines that you wouldn't normally buy though out the year? Later that night we eventually found our way to Joe's Bar & Grille for dinner where they had what looked like a great eclectic menu, but for some reason all I had was cheeseburger on the brain (it must have been the Harpoon IPA talking). Saturday we were pretty lazy getting ready and down for breakfast but we eventually filled up with coffee and headed out to Chatham. Once in Chatham we popped in for some slices and then tooled around the stores for a bit before heading out to Orleans and YouWho's coffee stop. From Orleans we drove out to the National Park in Provincetown. Now up until this point the sky had been dark and gray all day, but no rain. That all changed when we got out on the beach and then had to make a mad dash back to the car (running in slow motion... due to the sand). We finished our afternoon back in our room trying to make a dent in our magazine pile, and watching Food TV (Food TV always seems to be on when we are in a hotel/inn). That night we had dinner at the Academy Ocean Grille were we had an excellent dinner by fire alarm. All in all a very low key but relaxing vacation, well until Saturday night when, while watching the 11 o'clock news, we were alerted to fact that back home our house was under a flood watch. Visions of a wet basement interweaved with strange dreams for the rest of the night. Actually the other hightlight was driving throught the Big Dig... a lot changed in two years.|||113070724801472608|||Avoiding The Crowds10/21/2005 09:35:00 AM|||Brian|||Why do UFOs usually have lights? They seem kind of pointless.|||112990208271862761|||Phone Home10/26/2005 11:53:00 AM|||Anonymous Chosen|||Well, duh, to make them easier to see, of course. ;)10/27/2005 01:15:00 PM|||Blogger carpoolguy|||Silly boy, read this:

Determining if a UFO is terrestrial or extra-terrestrial - Look for glowing lights around Extra-terrestrial UFOs, which manifest the subdued high intensity electromagnetic flux
Staff Reporter
Mar. 17, 2005






Are all UFOs Extra-terrestrial? No, they are not. Many of the sightings are illusions and also are unknown experimental terrestrial aircrafts. But how do you distinguish between an extra-terrestrial UFO and a terrestrial UFO. According to some researchers there is a way to distinguish between terrestrial and extra-terrestrial UFOs.

Most UFOs are associated with some lights. According to these researchers, if you can see the light in the aircraft, it is a terrestrial UFO. Extra-terrestrial UFOs do not have lights similar to our aircrafts. In case of Extra-terrestrial aircrafts, the light that is visible comes from the subdued high intensity electromagnetic flux. The extra-terrestrial UFOs are mostly invisible. But the high intensity electromagnetic flux that surrounds them does emit visible spectrum of light when the flux intensity is brought down somewhat. That is exactly what happens when the extra-terrestrial UFOs bring their speed down to sonic levels. The electromagnetic flux surrounding the flying object is removed for a short while or the intensity brought down considerably. At that point of time one can see some glowing lights without any visible aircrafts associated with it.

Let us make one thing clear here. The high intensity electromagnetic flux that we are talking about, expressed in Maxwell or Weber is far beyond human imagination. Even the strongest super conductors that we know of are not capable of generating such high intensity electromagnetic flux.

Computer models have shown that very high intensity electromagnetic flux in a subdued mode does emit unpredictable visible spectrum of light. That is exactly what we humans can see in bare eyes. The glowing light unfortunately does not stay for long because the extra-terrestrial UFOs increase the intensity of the electromagnetic flux for stealth purpose after reaching the desired stable speed. That is the main reason why people sometimes see these glowing lights for a short while, and by the time they try to get a camera or other eyewitnesses, these lights are gone.

Computer models are showing the UFO flight patterns with the simulated high intensity electromagnetic flux around them. The goal of these models is to recreate simulated sightings so that the fight patterns, stealth, navigation systems and propulsion systems can be reverse engineered.10/16/2005 01:07:00 PM|||Brian|||Just when I was thinking of canceling HBO, they hook me back in with Extras (featuring Ricky Gervais of "The Office"). Slightly different, slightly the same, just as funny.|||112950010048170556|||Awkward Comedy10/16/2005 10:25:00 AM|||Brian|||Yesterday started out like any other lazy gray Saturday: we went downtown foraging for food, came home, sipped our coffee, caught up on web posts. It was right after my wife left for the supermarket that the mood changed due to the fact that rain just suddenly started pouring from the sky. After first I didn't think much of it, after a week of rain, the "wow" factor had warn off. But when I stood up and walked past a window, that's when the panic kicked in. To backtrack a bit, we live by a small brook, and for most of its life, it just trickles happily along, it is never something you worry about when it rains. Well that was until yesterday when this mild mannered brook suddenly flooded it banks and took over the back corner of my yard. Now actually I wasn't concerned that the water would start flowing from the brook into our basement, my concern was with the state of the water table. To backtrack a little more, we have a hole dug into out basement floor where the sewer pipe exits the house. This hole is about two feet deep, and for the most part stays dry except for a short period during the Spring thaw. We learned to watch this hole though after our very first basement flood back in March 2001. This is when, after about three huge snow storms, a "100 Year" storm dropped what felt like the Atlantic Ocean on us over a six hour period. Water just started oozing up from below and flooded our basement with three inches of water. Thanks to the Fire Department, we were able to pump the water out, but we lost a lot of things we had on the floor from our move ("It has never flooded", the previous owner told us). Back to yesterday, after marveling at my new riverfront property, I pulled the boards over this hole to discover it was full of water and about five inches away from floor level. Of course at this point I quickly surveyed the basement floor and wondered how I got to where I was standing without stepping on something. Needless to say I was able to cross "Clean Basement" off my to-do list and I put the washer up on bricks (the dryer is already on a pallet). Eventually the rain eased, and the water in the hole stopped rising. We escaped the mess we had back in 2001 but we did get about two Shop Vacs full of water in one corner (mind you our Shop Vac is puny... not much variety when you buy one during a "100 Year" storm). The vast majority of the floor stayed dried, but I could see how close we came to flooding as a few cracks in the floor were damp. I love being a homeowner... hey, my basement is finally clean! Update: We took a trip downtown for coffee this afternoon and the falls were incredible. The water looked like it was a foot from the base of the bridge and Kelley's deck was underwater. From the other side the water looked like it could just wash over the bridge.|||112947671654978600|||The Great Flood Of 10/16/200510/16/2005 11:42:00 PM|||Blogger YouWho|||Periodic flooding is my secret to a clean basement too!

Sounds like you should invest in a sump pump for that hole.10/14/2005 11:48:00 AM|||Brian|||I now have three Def Leppard concerts under my belt. It was fun to see the excitement in my wife's face as she stood just six rows back from Mr. Elliott and crew. But the real fun for me was after the show in what I would like to describe as: Escape From Boston. Driving down wasn't all that eventful, well maybe except for: the misty rain that never really got cleared by the wipers, severely cutting someone off who was in my blind spot on 1, never really being in a lane on 1 or Sturrow Drive (due to the fact you couldn't see the lines because of the misty rain), and driving pretty much blind through Kenmore Square/Commonwealth Ave on the way to the BU Agganis Arena (which I might add is a really nice venue). No, the really adventure started when we left the arena. First we were directed to turn right out of the arena when we really wanted to turn left, back to where we came from. Alright, I've spent some time on Commonwealth Ave before, just usually in a T car or Discount Kid's car... around ten years ago. Dive... this looks familiar... drive... so does this... drive... ok, this sort of looks familiar... drive... ok, maybe I should have turned there... drive... none of this looks familiar... drive... do I turn around or act like I know what I'm doing and keep going... drive... hey, I know that Dunkin Doughnuts! Feeling a little better with a landmark I had driven by a hundred of times on the way to DK's old apartment, I then had to quickly flip through the old filing cabinet in my head to "1993: Getting to DK's apartment via Sturrow Drive (in reverse)." A couple gut feelings, a few "We used to eat there", and a "Wow that is new" later we were turning right on to Sturrow Drive..., mission accomplished... set auto pilot... wake me when we are home (or probably sooner since I'm driving). Now, I'm no Sturrow Drive expert but I used to drive it every weekend (be it that was again, ten years ago), and I know enough that at the end, I need to be in the left lane to get back to 1. The problem this time was, after being directed to the right lane (via a big blinking orange arrow), I kind of lost track exactly where I was on Sturrow Drive. So after passing a few cones, I followed my fellow driving companions back into the left lane, thinking "That's why we got in the right lane for? Whatever." Well that wasn't all we got in the right lane for, and after a few cones appeared in the middle of the lanes, I realized that "we" (my fellow drivers) made a mistake and we are driving in a closed lane. I like say when in Rome, do what the Romans do. I got a Mass plate in front of me and a Mass plate behind me, I'm going to blend in with the locals and ride this out in the left lane... at least we are moving. Well that lasted till about the second big orange arrow telling us to go right, just this time it was blocking the entire lane. Time to merge through the cones into the right lane. Merging is always fun, but usually everyone is from PAX and the cars happliy merge: left lane, right lane, left lane, right lane, and so on. Well when it got to me (left lane), the "right lane" guy was from Spike and decided it should be: right lane, right lane. Just one thing, I was already merging. Needless to say, colorful words could be heard in the distance... awkward. Drive... stay left... drive... stay left... drive... I can't see, what is with all the blinking lights... drive... all these signs point to nowhere... drive.. stay left... drive... crap, I'm turning left, away from the onramp past the Science Center. Right, time to think. We use to travel this area to DK's other apartment. That's when out of the corner I spotted a Tobin bridge detour sign... quick turn here... and with that all subsequent detour signs just vanished (if they were even there to begin with). Drive... quick, turn around... drive... follow those cars... drive... look a 93 sign... drive... look a 1 sign... drive... where did that lake in the middle of the road come from?... drive... Fake it, I have no idea where we are... drive... Hey, a 16 sign, I think that leads to 1... drive... 16 leads to 1 right?... drive... same to you buddy, stop honking your horn and stay in your lane... drive.. Hey 16 lead us to 1... drive... man, where did the lane markings go? Safely back on 1, and eventually on 95, my story could end here, but why should it? How about constant gale force wind gusts that would suddenly send you into the next lane? Or the fact that, at one in the morning, there were just two other cars on the road... both on either side of me in a state of "I'm going to pass you... just not right now, cuz of the wind gust an all." The bright side is I've contacted the Boy Scouts and my Orienteering badge should be in the mail... that and I got to see my wife rock out to Def Leppard... Rock it, yeah, Armageddon it! A special thanks goes out to Discount Kid for moving around Boston every year. I used to think you were crazy but now I know you were a Jedi Master and I was the student. Thank you for teaching me The (Boston) Force.|||112931092234158838|||Escape From Boston10/14/2005 01:55:00 PM|||Blogger YouWho|||What's surprisingly absent from this narrative is your wife yelling at you.10/14/2005 02:17:00 PM|||Blogger Kreblog|||All in all things remained pretty cool and there was no yelling... well, actually how should I know, my ears where pretty much on strike at that point.10/14/2005 08:59:00 PM|||Blogger Lnotes|||i had no right to yell at Kreb - he was doing a kick a** job and I had no idea where we were going either. Plus - I was in a state of bliss recountin every move that Joe Elliott did on stage and replaying the songs they did over and over in my head. Nothing could have phased me at that point. The only yelling I did was at that Mass-hole behind us when we were merging- I was pretty pumped up after the show. After he let his "colorful" language fly I put my window down and gave it back to him. When in Rome....10/15/2005 05:05:00 PM|||Blogger Granite|||I love driving in Boston. Master that and you can handle anywhere - even those crazy streets in India.10/14/2005 11:46:00 AM|||Brian|||Last year I alluded to my love of Maker's Mark by announcing I had a new title. Since then I have received nearly monthly "Ambassador" emails describing events at the distillery (including the company Christmas party), charitable efforts, and a invite to a dinner/tasting with fellow Ambassadors in Boston. The greatest thing about these emails is they aren't just some PR pieces written by the Marketing department, they are written by the president in a manor that conveys "down home" life in Kentucky. Anyway, what really got me was the other day was I received a small box from Maker's out of the blue, and in it were two DVDs (one for me and one for a "friend"... including postage). On the DVD was a short video explaining the how they make Maker's, but focusing really on how they make the barrels that gives Makers its flavor/color. Why barrels? Well beside being an integral ingredient, my name will shortly appear on one of these barrels and in three years I will be offered the ability to buy a bottle from my barrel... just one of the benefits of being an Ambassador. I just thought this was a great example of viral marketing, hell I've already helped Granite become an Ambassador. ...and to think I discovered Makers from a wine show of all places.|||112930479158792648|||Ambassador10/14/2005 01:17:00 PM|||Blogger carpoolguy|||Sounds suspiciously like some pyramid Ambassador marketing scheme to me. "Buy our booze, and you become an ambassador. But the real benefits accrue when you recruit other ambassadors who, in turn, recruit still more ambassadors. Eventually, you'll never have to work again. You can sit at home, while the ambassadorships roll in and stay drunk on Maker's Mark all day."

You're not sucking me in, buster.10/14/2005 01:37:00 PM|||Blogger Kreblog|||And this is bad how?10/14/2005 01:50:00 PM|||Blogger YouWho|||If only it didn't taste like diesel.10/14/2005 02:19:00 PM|||Blogger Kreblog|||Hmmm, I've never really tried diesel. If it really tastes like Makers I might have found a cheaper source that the State.10/15/2005 05:10:00 PM|||Blogger Granite|||I got my DVDs as well. The best part was when the oak casks were charred in the furnace. Better CGI than Star Wars...10/14/2005 10:52:00 AM|||Brian|||Our youngest cat discovered a new hideout. Under the bed? Nah, too passé. How about inside the bed? Now you are talking. Seems at some point a slit formed in material covering the bottom of the box spring. Insert cat curiosity and now you have a hideout envious of cats all over: "Where's the cat?" "Check under the bed." "He's not there." "Hehe, excellent." How did I discover this wonderful hideout? How about the second just after I had fallen a sleep, when my ear was in prime listening position on my pillow to hear every movement magnified ten times. I just hope our oldest (bigger) cat doesn't attempt to climb into this super sweet hideout. Or worse yet, discover how fun it might be to whap the youngest one through the material, while he is in this hideout, while we are sleeping, at three in the morning.|||112930266048156312|||Spelunking10/09/2005 07:37:00 AM|||Brian|||What's there to say about the Sox... (insert Speed Buggie sputtering) they just ran out of gas. As much as I would have loved to see the Sox go all the way, it is sort of nice to finally have the anxiety of "now if only they can protect their two run lead for four innings" finally lifted. Go get'em crazy White Sox manger dude!|||112885838312283098|||Stress-free October10/13/2005 11:45:00 PM|||Blogger YouWho|||Stress, what? I didn't even realize the Red Sox made it to the Superbowl this year!10/14/2005 11:12:00 AM|||Blogger Kreblog|||I think you are confusing baseball with curling.